By Zachary Koehler
Ludwig Field in College Park opened in 1995. The $2.5 million facility was meant to reflect the excellence of the programs that play there, according to Maryland Athletics. Over the past 31 seasons, Maryland men’s soccer has done its best to earn its premium stadium.
Three of the four corners at Ludwig Field are adorned with national championship banners from 2005, 2008 and 2018. During those championship seasons, the Terps won 36 combined games at home. They currently have a 14–game regular–season undefeated streak on their own field. Three top-10 teams have met the Terps at Ludwig this season, all walking away on the losing end.
So what could account for all this success? Sure, the facilities are state-of-the-art, and yes, they have a long-tenured head coach in Sasho Cirovski, who knows how to win at every level. But there’s another big contributor to Maryland’s winning pedigree. When the Terps take the field at Ludwig, they do so in front of some of the most loyal fans in all of college soccer.
“They’re part of our team,” Cirovski said. “They bring confidence and … a lot of love to our players.”
Ludwig is currently third in the NCAA this season in attendance per game, with more than 4,000 fans coming to support the Terps on average. For the three ranked matchups Maryland has hosted, more than 5,000 fans have attended each time.
The biggest attendance of the season so far was on Sept. 7. The No. 2 Terps hosted No. 5 Georgetown in a rivalry matchup with big stakes for the rest of the season. More than 6,000 fans packed into Ludwig Field to watch their Terps take a 3-2 victory over the Hoyas.
“I went to the Georgetown game,” freshman aerospace engineering major Patrick Cave said, “and I think that was the most lively crowd I’ve been around in a sports game.”
Late in the game against the Hoyas, Maryland was protecting a one-goal lead. The crowd came to its feet and urged the Terps to finish strong.
“It’s the boost of adrenaline,” fifth-year midfielder Albi Ndrenika said. “You don’t feel tired. You don’t feel your legs. You know, when you hear the chants … it makes you want to work twice as hard for them.”
This kind of attendance isn’t an outlier for Ludwig Field. For the past six seasons, Maryland fans have ranked in the top eight in the NCAA for average game attendance. This sustained support, especially from students, is largely due to the Crew.
The Crew is what the most loyal members of the student section call themselves. They organize tailgates, create chants and promote giveaways to get as many students as possible into the stadium on game days.
“Having the Crew there to kind of be the backbone of the energy is really exciting,” fourth-year environmental science and technology major Jonathan Young said. “They have their little chants, little songs as well, and the overall environment is just really lit.”
The Crew has become such a big part of the game-day environment that after home wins, the team takes a lap around the field, high-fiving fans during what has been labeled the “Crew Run.”
Now, as Maryland heads into conference play, the team calls for the support of the fans again.
“Keep coming out,” Ndrenika said. “Keep being loud. We appreciate every single one of them.”
Featured Image: Ludwig Field at the University of Maryland, College Park. Photo by Zachary Koehler.